Method of producing a carbonized fuel briquette



Patented Mar. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEMUEL M. JOHNSTON,OF PARCO, WYOMING METHOD PRODUCING A CARBONIZED FUEL BRIQUETTE NoDrawing.

. or its products such as residuum, wax, tars,

etc. in coke stills and pressure or cracking stills, coke is formed inthe still and is removed from time to time as it accumulates. This coke,which may be referred to herein as petroleum coke, contains some oils,mostly heavy hydrocarbons.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an improved methodof treating petroleum coke for the recovery of certain volatile productscontained therein.

It is another object to produce a superior fuel briquette.

In carrying out the process I may first grind the petroleum coke intocomparatively fine particles, and then add a liquid, preferably water,so as to form a thick, mud-like mass, which may be molded or pressedinto form, such as a briquette. In place of water I may make use ofother temporary binders such as light oils, which, like water, probablyserve to bind through surface tension, residuum, or heavy mineral oilsand the like, which probably serve to bind the coke particles bycohesive action rather than by surface tension. In using coke having ahigh percentage of wax or oils, I prefer to use a temporary binder otherthan water or in addition to water, but with most petroleum coke waterwill serve to temporarily bind the particles together satisfactorily.These pressed briquettes will be sufliciently coherent to withstand thehandling necessary to place them in some form of still or retort. Thebriquettes are then heated in such still or retort so as to drive offthe moisture and certain of the lighter oils and lighter volatileproducts contained in the coke.

If these vaporized products are to be recovered suitable devices, suchas condensers or absorption apparatus, may be connected to the still orretort so as to collect and recover the volatilized products. Thebriquettes, after being thus dried, may then be 0 roasted ordestructively distilled at a comparatively high temperature, so that theApplication filed February 27, 1926. Serial No. 91,263.

heavy oils contained in the coke, as well as certain resins and gums, ifpresent, may be carbonized, thus binding the coke particles together andforming a very hard briquette.

erably be done out of contact with the air in order to prevent burningof the coke or other products.

During this carbonizing able volatile material is given off, and thisvolatile material contains many valuable products, as heretoforementioned. These volatile products may then be collected, either bycondensing the same or absorbing the same in suitable media. During thecarbonizing process it is advantageous to admit steam to the briquettesfor the reason that, in the presence of steam, the valuable volatileproducts appear to volatilize more freely and the process is morecompletely and quickly carried out.

The residue, after roasting, will be in the form of hard, densebriquettes, which constitute a superior fuel.

The briquettes are substantially pure carbon, and thus leavesubstantially no ash upon burning.

Another advantage of forming the petroprocess consider- Carbonizing athigh temperatures will prefleum coke into definite masses beforeroasting is that the residue, namely, the briquettes, may be easilyremoved from the roasting still or retort, and these briquette residuesare, in themselves, valuable for fuel purposes.

One exampleof a preferred process of producing briquettes is as follows:

Petroleum coke is ground to about 20 mesh size and mixed with about 6%to 10% of a temporary binder such as water or oils (more binder may beused, if a cheap or waste be consumed in further heating to from 900 Fto 1100 F. for carrying out the carbonization of heavy oils or othercarbonizable matter in the briquettes and there will be a fur- 5 therevolution of gases and volatiles which are probably products of thedestructive distillation. It is also possible to make satisfactorybriquettes by heating to temperatures as low as about 325 F. if thistemperature is maintained for several hours. It is also possible toplace the briquettes in an oven or other heating apparatus at about 1000F.

for a period of about thirty minutes, after which the briquettes will bedense and hard.

The hot briquettes, if desired, may be dumped into water to cool.

WVhile the invention has been described in some detail, it is to beunderstood that details of the process may be varied without departingfrom the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of producing a hard fuel briquette, which includes mixingpulverized petroleum coke containing heavy mineral oil with water toform a thick paste, pressing the paste into coherent briquettes,destructively distilling the briquettes in the presence of steam todrive off volatiles and carbonize heavy mineral oils in the coke andform dense, hard briquettes.

2. The method of producing a hard fuel briquette, which includes mixingfinely divided petroleum coke containing heavy mineral oils with waterto form a paste, heating to drive of? volatile matter, and thendestructively distilling in the presence of steam to drive off the moredifiicultly volatile products of the coke and to carbonize heavy oils inthe coke.

LEMUEL M. JOHNSTON.

